Vents Magazine
Unveiling “Them”: Edward Anthony on Music, Change, and Self-Expression
[as originally published on ventsmagazine.com]
Edward Anthony (formerly Josephine Relli) is an American recording artist, actor, and activist who’s grace the red carpet of the music industry’s most renowned award ceremony, the Grammys, and captured the attention of such media outlets as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour. Edward is currently working on an upcoming album titled “Them.” The project, poised to be unlike anything he’s previously released, will feature a collection of duets with his former self, serving to seamlessly realize the manifested changes in both his life and music. We caught up with Edward to pick his brain about his approach to this unique and unprecedented project.
Can you share any memorable moments or experiences from your career that have shaped you as an artist?
I feel like the things that have shaped me as an artist are the little things that add up. Going back even to my first opportunity to write and record music, the freedom of being able to just create and enjoy the process is a piece that has shaped how I go about approaching music now. All of the people I’ve been able to meet and work with have also had a large impact on who I am personally, professionally, and artistically.
Could you describe the creative process behind your upcoming album, “Them,” and how it represents your artistic evolution and self-expression?
This album for me is a huge piece of expression. It’s exploration and letting go of a lot of old things while beginning the new. It’s significant in that it’s the first creative project I’ve done since [my] transition, but it’s also the first creative project I’ve done since lockdown. It’s a renewal of a lot of things in my life and for that reason it’s also the most meaningful project I’ve done.
The idea of duetting with your former self on “Them” is incredibly interesting. What message do you hope to convey through these collaborations?
That change is okay and should be celebrated. I can look back on who I was and appreciate it, but still move forward. Also, that there’s a lot to be said [about] and celebrated in the journey. It’s a bunch of things wrapped in one. I am simultaneously celebrating, mourning, and sending off my older self while incorporating who I’ve become.
You’ve graced the red carpet at the Grammys and been featured in publications like Vogue and Cosmopolitan. How have these experiences impacted your career and artistic vision?
I’m very grateful I was given the opportunity for those things and I hope to get the chance again in the future. The biggest impact for me was being around so many other great artists and creators. It’s very inspiring as well as intimidating.
Your musical influences include classic artists like Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra. How do you incorporate their style into your own music while maintaining a contemporary edge?
Most of my writing process is shaped as it happens. I tend to let whatever I’m creating dictate the direction I go in. A lot of the genre choices that end up occurring do so freely. I think my own taste in music and that I listen to classic artists as well as contemporary fairly equally ends up impacting what I create naturally.
Your music evades the confines of a single genre. Can you elaborate on your eclectic musical style?
This comes back to writing wherever writing takes me. I usually don’t set out on a project with a sound in mind, although there are exceptions to this. Most of the time, however, it shapes itself which can garner a pretty eclectic sound occasionally… READ MORE